Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

My sister-in-law Carole (you may remember her from my Apple Dutch Baby Pancake post) and her husband Mike came into town last weekend for a short visit. Being the sweetheart that she is, Carole brought me four Meyer lemons from her backyard tree (she actually referred to it as more of a bush) located in Alameda, California.

Since I’d never tried Meyer lemons before, I was super excited when she handed me the bag with four beautifully shaped little yellow fruit inside. Naturall,y the first thing I did was stick my nose into the bag and gave them a big sniff to see how pungent they were. To my surprise, unlike regular lemons, Meyer lemons don’t have a very strong scent (unless their rind is cut). And, in additio,n I learned that they’re considerably sweeter than the lemons I’m used to purchasing in my local market.

Some say a Meyer lemon’s flavor is a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon, but my opinion is that a Meyer lemon’s flavor is unique to itself.  I guess that when people compare them to oranges it’s because they’re not as sour and tart as the lemons commonly purchased that are loaded with pucker-power.

Don’t get me wrong, Meyer lemons still have a strong lemon flavor (lemon lovers, rejoice) making them the perfect ingredient to use for cooking and baking. And if all this isn’t enough, did you know that the rind of a Meyer lemon is thin and less bitter making the entire fruit totally edible with no waste whatsoever? Yup. True story!

Meyer lemon season runs November through March so I urge you to snap them up when you find them in your market and make this recipe. I made this cake for Mike and Carole when they came to our home for dinner one night while they were in town, and it was a huge hit!

This recipe will also work well with lemons other than Meyer lemons, so if you don’t have them don’t let that stop you from making this recipe. Either way, it’s going to be delicious, and you’re going to love this dense, moist cake! I promise!

I lightly adapted this recipe for Meyer Lemon Pound Cake from The Hungry Housewife, and the Meyer lemons are compliments of Carole. Thanks, Carole!!

MEYER LEMON POUND CAKE   {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Serves:  8-10       Prep Time: 10 minutes     Bake Time: 60 minutes

For the cake:
2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest from 2 Meyer lemons
3 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
lemon slices for garnish (optional)

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
-Prepare a Bundt pan by liberally spraying with baking spray. Set aside.
-In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest and sugar between your fingertips in order to release the lemon oil from the rind and to optimally flavor the sugar.
-Add the softened butter to the sugar and using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) blend until light and creamy.
-Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract, half and half and the Grek yogurt.
-In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
-Add the flour into the egg/lemon mixture in thirds, blending well after each addition.
-Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan.
-Bake in a preheated oven to 60 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
-Cool for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto a serving plate.
-Cool completely before glazing.
-In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze until thick, yet slightly runny.
-Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and garnish with lemon slices (if desired) before serving.
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Combine the lemon zest and sugar. Rub the zest through the sugar with your fingers to highly flavor the sugar.

Beat the softened butter into the sugar. Add the eggs, half and half, Greek yogurt and extracts blending until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour and salt into the batter in thirds until combined. Spoon the batter evenly into a prepared Bundt pan and bake in a preheated oven.

Turn the cake out on a serving plate and cool completely. Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle the glaze over the cake when cooled. Garnish with lemon slices.

And now can I interest you in a lemon drop martini? Pucker up! XO